Clematis 2014

So pretty, Lily_love.

Marie - I thought I'd pass out with the clematis prices at Wayside!

Etelka - storms do not harm clematises that are dormant. The worst that could have happened is for stems from a type 1 to be damaged. Then it's just cutting them back that's required but often no one (not even the owner) can see through the massive stems to find any that are broken. You're doing a wonderful job with your roses and clem's.

Pam - One of these days we'll get up to Hummingbird Farms to visit but there's always the danger I'll come home with five more and then have the usual placement anxiety! It is very tiring waiting for any plant to get to the size we see on screens or in ads. Though they want their share of water, they do want good drainage (as most plants do) so keep that in mind when planting. Manure shouldn't have had any negative effect on them unless you went overboard with it or if it wasn't aged enough. Then it would burn the roots. I'm glad it's all working out for you.

The manure I used was Espoma, bagged and granulated. I also used a heavily fortified potting mix, and I think it was just too heavy. Also, most of them were too small to plant in the ground yet. Since I adjusted the amounts, everything has done well.

Even so, as you say, it takes forever for them to get to a decent size in the garden. And since Silver moon will be in a lot of shade, I wouldn't expect the fastest growth... Worth the extra $$ to get bigger ones. :-)

Btw, I do have Nelly Moser already showing buds. She's a favorite from a previous garden... Also Hagley Hybrid, another shade tolerant choice.

Wow, Etelka- you've only been growing clematis for four years? Impressive! They are all beauties!

Happy belated Easter everyone... Especially Maggie Mae, who looks like she's made herself right at home. Smart puppy, she already knows she'll be well taken care of, if not spoiled rotten ;-)

I stumbled on a little lady from Long Island and the rest is history. Pirl helped me and incouraged me all this years and I learned not to be a fraid of pricy plants, in the past I would never payed 12-14 dollars for a plant that comes in a 4" pot.I thank all of you for your praises and good comments. Pirl, you have a special pace in my heart, and thank you for all the good tips. Etelka This is the picture I noticed pirl first time, and her iron gate.

Pam - I trust Espoma 100%. I'm so glad you worked through the problems and stayed with the clematises. I agree about the shade having more established plants and I believe you'll enjoy have a huge head start. We have HH, too, but no buds yet. NM must have done a lot of self-seeding that I couldn't spot last year because there are many babies growing around her but I'll still leave them for another year rather than risk moving them (like last time) and killing them.

Spoiled rotten is good for pets...and humans!

Etelka - You'd have done a fine job without me. The prices can be scary and probably was for many of us but in return you get to enjoy them for many years. My Jackmanii clematises are now past the eligible age to vote! Clematises are reliable even though a cold spring can set them back. I'm always happy to encourage anyone who wants to grow them.

Today I was working near Omoshiro (by the rotting stump) and there's a BUD! I think Omoshiro knows she is my favorite!

See Arlene, you finally got a bud. Now doesnt that make you feel good? Mine is looking great this year too. The prices can be scary. I know my Advant Garde that I paid 12.00 each for 2 little plugs. I babied them for 3 years till they were big enough to let grow.I have bought large ones in pots at the price of 20.00 that I am still trying to get established.

I find that certain areas are harder than others to get them to grow. MY front flower bed is the worst, due to chip monks, moles and voles. Nothing is the same each year because of having to replace plants.

Oh I thought Wayside was out of the minds at those prices. A 3 year old plant is not that big.

YES!

While I've seen outrageous prices locally and on Cape Cod, for clematises, I've never bought them at $32.00 and $50.00. My fear with Wayside is that once the pot is turned over, so we can plant the clem, the root system still might be just a plug.

1 - 3 On Cape Cod
4 & 5 locally. (At least they are very good sized plants with numerous stems)

Agway was selling clems last year for outrageous prices....I just walked away from them! No buds here, but growth on all.....I found a tag today near one clem.....has a Japanese name which i can't remember, but the clem looked healthy! Pam, thanks for the kind words about Maggie.....she's coming along!

Many years ago I bought Liberation (which was labeled Tateshina) from Agway for $2.99! It was an end of season sale. Now most plants are on the expensive side at Agway.

Etelka, your HL Young looks great! I bought four labeled H. F. Young?? last summer for 99 cents each. They were little sticks, but two of them are blooming now and I really like them. I hope they will be as lovely as yours next year...

Has anyone here had good luck with Henryi? I planted two under my mailbox last year that are just starting to bloom.

RrGr, Thank you for compliment, I have 2 Henryis, they both are kind of slow but have buds on them. The slowest is Rebecca, but also noticed a tiny bud on it. Etelka

Rrrrr - the name is HF Young and it is a beauty. I do have Henryi and it grows very well here.

Etelka - I don't have Rebecca so we can't compare speed to bloom on that one. My slowest is Niobe.

Hi all, Arlene, my Niobe is in for a show at present, yours should come along any day now. :)

Pretty!

Mine is always late and sometimes isn't blooming until mid June.

Beautiful, Pirl... I can't wait until my Henryi fills out as much as yours. Two blooms so far, about a dozen buds yet to open...

Thanks. I feel they are the most beautiful on the first day of bloom when the green stripe is most evident. After that it slowly fades.

I've had very good experiences with Silver Star Vinery, and their plants are gallons for @$20. Beautiful roots, and all are thriving.

That's always good to hear.

Love all the pictures!

My clem's are really looking good this year so far only 'The President' and 'Nelly Moser' have bloomed - the president is usually much later but he is planted on the south wall against the brick and I think since spring was so sporadic he was helped along by that west late afternoon sun against the brick.

1. Nelly Moser bloom
2. The President just beginning to open up
3. A bloom on The President
4. I planted this clem last year and then promptly forgot what I planted but I think it may be white - it has been a very vigorous grower this spring
6. The top of Nelly Moser who is also looking very vigorous this spring

Pirl I forgot to add something - remember last year we had the big discussion about my Jackmanni that was almost killed by another vine? Well it leafed out this year again but did not put up any new shoots so I dug it up a few days ago. The roots looked good but they were very small - I planted it back deeper on its side to try to get it to put out some new growth. Added some potting soil to the soil there and covered it up. I'm hopeful that I'll see some change in it. I'm trying to decide if I should trim off the tops of the two skimpy but long stems that have leaves on them. Would that encourage it to put out new growth or do you think it would be better to leave them to help feed the roots.

Karen - your photos are so lovely. Nelly Moser always looks so happy. Look for seedlings next spring. Mine either didn't do it in previous years or I ripped them out, believing they were weeds!

I'd cut back the long stems on the Jackmanii. A good haircut is probably what it needs after being moved. Cutting the stems back does encourage new growth. You could also add some manure on top of the soil (don't try mixing it in with the potting soil) and top it with 2" of mulch after you give it a big drink of Epsom Salt dissolved in lukewarm water.

Just got back from North Carolina, I have planed a 3 day trip but Mother nature messed it up. Got trough a bad storm on I 95, then when I got to Camden, we had a tornado around us, it did sound like a fraight train, did not hit my son's house but came close. We where all huddled up in a corner hoping we won't end up in the creek. Next day no power no phone or hot water so I turned around and came home. Pulled down 900 ml in two days. Today I will check out all my clems and the flower garden, hoping it is all ok. Still planing the back garden, maybe I will put some clematis in pots, the roots from the oak tree are huge so eather I will have to bring more dirt around it, of find some big containers. How deep of the soil can I use for the clematis, I can buld it up abut 18 inches, would that be enough for the roots to grow?

What a trip! Going 900 miles in two days would be enough to have me sleeping for two more days.

Nice big pots (not the heavy ones that get heavier with each passing year) would be ideal.

Since the tree is gone you could dig as much as you want to, but a big, strong person would be worth his wages for an hour or two to get the job done. There is no harm in adding soil to the root area only because the tree is gone, even though the stump remains, but it would mean a lot of compost, manure, good soil (new), and a huge amount of time. I'd opt to go for a pot within a pot so you'd always be free to change your mind. Cold weather won't hurt it. I have three in nursery pots and they made it through our rough winter without a problem.

If you do decide to plant them in the ground 18" would be fine, more would be much better. Here's the roots on Rooguchi just to give you an idea of how massive they can become.

Thank you Arlene, I will look into all my options. My driveway is narrow so I can't have a truck to deliver soil, eather I find a small truck or drag all the bags in the back. I have checked out my stash, the clematis are doing grate, have a new bloom on the Sizaja Ptitza clem, I have moved it to a sunnier spot planted with Viola V. next to the Iris you sent me. Finnaly it is blooming after 2 Summers just sitting there. I guess I have to realize that I can't go away more then 3 days, since I don't have sprinkle system, the flowers are all halfway dead when I come back. The rose Climbing Eden is nice, but not the one I had back home. But I like it anyway. Etelka

You're very welcome, Etelka.

As I was working inside I was thinking of ways you could work out the planting around the stump. If you could find that strong, young person, maybe he could dig a wide trench about 2' out from the tree for the planting of the clematises in the trench but it has to be deep and he would have to cut through the roots. A chain saw would be a huge help but he should know what he's doing.

Your plants look so happy and healthy. I'm so glad the iris finally bloomed. They do like to take a year or two off after being moved.

The rose is still so pretty. What color was the rose you remember as a child?

Scary trip! Love all the photos....keep them coming as we have nothing here in NW CT except daffs & helllebores.

Etelka, sorry to hear that you had such another bad weather experience.

I've been in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend watching our son play soccer. We're heading back to Atlanta tonight, right when the thunderstorms are supposed to start. Hopefully there'll be no turbulence when it's time for us to land.

Here are a few of my blooms from this week.

Niobe, and Patricia Ann Fretwell, throwing double and single blooms

Ramona, Kardynal W., Daniel Deronda, Liberation. Mrs. Cholmondeley. The clematis are all doing really well this year.

Yukiokioshi, the petals have a hint of green, and the base of the blooms have a halo of leaves that come up through the petals.

Josephine is just starting to open get buds, and John Warren. The last picture is Veronica's Choice, this is my 1st time seeing her bloom.

Love all the great photos!

Good luck getting home.

I love it so much, I have to show Omishiro again. Otto Froebel, Miguel Viso, and Barbara Jackman

You are a good clematis mom!

Thanks Arlene😁, I've been taught by the best, and that would be you. Your great advice given over the years has made me a much better gardener.

Here is my big project from this past week. I put in a 4' x 50' bed along my back walkway, for my clematis, roses, peonies and lilies. More grass gone, yippee. The DH was one who suggested putting a bed there, after I put in a trellis for my climbing roses over the walkway. I did the bed with biodegradable landscape paper, 10 bags of soil conditioner, 10 bags of top soil, 5 bags of composted manure, and 6 bales of line straw. The roses are already in, and I've got Dr. Ruppel and Earnest Markham to plant there. In addition I've 8 pots of lilies that will go into the bed as well.

I plant on putting clematis armandii Apple Blossom on the trellis, which will keep it covered year round with leaves.

You give me too much credit, Annette. You are the one who did the work.

A new 4' x 50' bed is quite a job! Less grass is always good and yet the new bed is bound to keep you busy outside so you won't have worries on how to fill your spare time!

I love the idea of the clematis providing greenery all year long!

Those clems are just awesome! And Yukiokioshi is the tag I found next to a new clem....now I can't wait to see her bloom after seeing yours........

I landed safely, and I'm heading home. It is raining, and the temps are cooler than they've been the past week.

Thanks Karen. Pictures 1-3 are Josephine in post 302.

Marilyn, you'll love Yukiokioshi.

Arlene, I have to give credit where it's due. Without your advice, my plants wouldn't look so good.

Making the new bed was almost the undoing of me. I was in so much pain that night, but I'm glad I got it done. Now it's time to fill it in.

Making the bed is rough work. I know the pain all too well but it always seems worth it.

So true, less grass and more gardening space is always worth it.

The pictures are wonderful.
Thanks so much for sharing. I cant wait for mine to start giving me a show.